The present invention relates to gravimeters, and particularly relates to gravimeters which use superconductivity to function.
A gravimeter is a highly sensitive weighing device used for relative measurement of the force of gravity by detecting small weight differences of a constant mass at different points on the earth, and is also known as a gravity meter. The weight of a large mass will obviously vary more with variations in gravity than will the weight of a small mass. However, this advantage of large masses is offset by the fact that the large apparatus needed to produce the large force to support a large mass is generally less sensitive than is the delicate apparatus needed to produce the small force to support the weight of a small mass. This trade off has limited the senitivity of gravimeters of the prior art.